Tikka T3 Lite SS or Savage Weather Warrior 16/116 FCSS

I own two of each brand in various Cals from .204R to .300WSM. Some random thoughts on each make follow

Tikka T3 SS

- Silky smooth cycling of the action
- Bolt shroud needs replacement from factory plastic one (Roedale Precision is your friend here)
- Synthetic stock has a cheap feel to it. Easily remedied with a Boyds replacement. I replaced mine with an actual Tikka laminate stock (not recommended unless you have $600)
- Adjustable trigger (2-4lbs)
- Good accuracy out of the box

Savage

- Not as smooth while cycling the bolt, but alot better than some of the current Rem 700s' being produced.
- Tough, take abuse type of gun
- Not refined finish wise as the Tikka
- Synthetic stock is a little more robust (read stiffer)
- Accustock feature. Jury is still out on this, depends on who you talk to. Some like it, some don't
- Accutrigger - same as above
- Known for great accuracy right out of the box

It's going to come down to personal preference. Both will do what you require of them easily enough & both will do Sub-MOA with tuned loads. The difference between the Tikka & Savage in terms of weight is negligible, so that becomes moot. Price wise they're roughly the same (give or take). It's probably going to end up which one you think suits your needs and/or overall fit & finish you deem appropriate (which ultimately is the way it should be and not someone else's).

Would I change my choices if I had to do it all over again? No, I'm happy enough each individual unit & I don't favour over another really. I can't see how I'd be any better or worse off if I switched brands within a set Caliber to be honest. I don't think you could go wrong with either.
 
I have a model 16 SS savage, it's not bad, but I dont like the bolt throw, it brings it too close to the scope in my opinion, and that two position safety may take some getting used to, I missed a big elk as I thought the safety was off when it was in it's mid position once. Wont make that mistake again.

I do like the rifle outside of those cons though, I really like the acu-trigger and Im content with the acu-stock.

Here it is wearing a vortex and mossy oak obsession gun wrap:
 
This is an almost embarrassing question.

Tikka is an inexpensive Sako rifle, same barrel and trigger. The other choice is a Savage.

Enough said.
 
What's your intended purpose for the rifle? Straight hunting & minimal bench time or equal amounts of both? Where you located & what type of game do you intend to chase? Do you reload or are thinking of reloading? Are you recoil shy?

All those questions and then some will have a factor on which Cal is best suited for you.
 
To the OP, I was back and forth on both the models you stated. I took the Savage and I love it.

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Tikka. In 6.5x55 Swede. Super lightweight, non-existant recoil & enough 'oomph' to knock down anything. Having tried tried the accutrigger, I am not a huge fan of it. My tikka t3, out of the box, was superb - to the point where I have never needed to adjust it. I replaced the sling swivels to a personal preference, I haven't changed the bolt shroud for an aluminum one; With the current recoil, I don't believe this to be an issue. As printed above, the stock 'seems' cheap. It works, but it isn't an issue. I may replace mine in the future for a 'prettier' one. All in all, I wouldn't switch this rifle for anything other than a Sako. The Finn's offer a quality which seems to be lost to a lot of American producers lately.
 
I have had both, and they are both great guns. As others have said, the action on the Tikka is super smooth. Mine were equally accurate, but the T3 was a little lighter, which meant higher recoil. In .308 I am sure you will be fine, but I really like the 6.5x55 suggestion.
 
Thanks everyone for your input. I think I'll go for the Tikka. I want to use the rifle for bench as well as hunting deer and the like. Reason I'm thinking .308 is for the low cost, ease of availability and long barrel life. I do a lot of pistol reloading but have no desire to reload for rifle.
 
7offsuit2 said:
Tikka. In 6.5x55 Swede. Super lightweight, non-existant recoil & enough 'oomph' to knock down anything. Having tried tried the accutrigger, I am not a huge fan of it. My tikka t3, out of the box, was superb - to the point where I have never needed to adjust it. I replaced the sling swivels to a personal preference, I haven't changed the bolt shroud for an aluminum one; With the current recoil, I don't believe this to be an issue. As printed above, the stock 'seems' cheap. It works, but it isn't an issue. I may replace mine in the future for a 'prettier' one. All in all, I wouldn't switch this rifle for anything other than a Sako. The Finn's offer a quality which seems to be lost to a lot of American producers lately.
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+1!
6.5 over the '08 all the way.
 
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